Boring stuff

We were absolutely cream crackered when we finally got off the boat and it was just after 6pm by the time we got back to our room. Luckily the noisy neighbours next door had departed so that was a huge relief. The plan was to get showered and changed and head out for an evening meal but Phil took so long downloading his many photographs and writing the blog that it was dark by the time he was finished. It was far too late for me to venture out but I was a little hungry so Phil went out to the night markets just down from our hotel and got us some takeaway noodles. They weren’t the best I’ve ever tasted but they did fill a hole.

I let Phil sleep in on Sunday morning because we weren’t in any great hurry to check out, and for once, the check out time was 11am; this is unusual for Oz, in all the many hotels/back-packers/motels we’ve stayed in, we’ve had to be out by 10 o’clock. I did the usual packing up while Phil took his laptop downstairs and posted the blog and checked the inboxes. It was another hot & humid day and not the best for the long journey back to Townsville. Still, we were paid up and on the road just before 10.30.

We both thoroughly enjoyed our time in far north Queensland but on reflection (we seem to do a lot of that these days) we both agreed, that we should have driven straight to Port Douglas and stayed a night there. It would have been good to explore the town in the evening and it was a shame that we didn’t drive a little further and to see Daintree and Cape Tribulation. But hey, we did what we did and can’t change it now. In hindsight, we think we also would have preferred to stay at Palm Cove instead of Trinity Beach but the apartment at Trinity was fabulous so maybe it’s not such a big deal.

There is not much really to report really. After leaving Cairns we drove for an hour or so and stopped off for a snack from a Sub-way at Innisfall. Someone (and I can’t remember who) had recommended that we stop off and take in the sights of Babinda but as we drove through the town we couldn’t see anything to stop for; maybe we missed it and should have turned off the highway to explore a little further. Never mind, whatever there was to see in Babinda, we missed it. We drove for another hour or so and decided to stop off and take a look at the little village of Cardwell. The sun was shining and the sea was glistening so we parked up outside the Cardwell Village Beachcomber Motel with a stubbie and admired the views.

Phil had the idea of stopping in Ingham for lunch as the last time we were there we couldn’t get in to the town as it was closed off because of a bomb scare at the bank. However, it was gone 2pm by the time we arrived and everything seemed to be shut which wasn’t altogether surprising because it was Sunday. I will still full up from my tuna baguette so I wasn’t fussed but Phil moaned a little as I steered him away from the Chinese restaurant which was the only eatery that seemed to be open for business.

Our last stop on the journey was at the Frosty Mango where I went to the loo while Phil queued for a mango ice cream; it tasted pretty disgusting to me but Phil seemed to enjoy it and it seemed to fill a tiny gap. The roads were very quiet and in no time we were back in sunny Townsville. We stopped off at Woolworths to get some supplies before pulling into the gates of the white house just after 4pm. I’d put the recycling bin out before we left and someone and I’m guessing it was Andrew next door had put in back in the front yard which was kind of him.

Thankfully the house was just as we left it although the grass seemed to have shot up in the few days that we’ve been away. It grows like crazy out here. I’m a little concerned about the fallen tree but Geoff says not to worry as he expects to spend all weekend tending to the garden when he gets back. Maybe if we get time, we shall get the mower out so as to save him a job when he gets home. Just a thought, but no promises Geoff if you’re reading this! Gardening is not really Phil’s or my bag, we tend to do a big tidy up in the autumn and then leave our garden well alone, all bar clearing leaves few leave blowing, until the Spring. If I had my way, our whole back yard would be laid to decking, paving slabs and gravel.

I unpacked and put away while Phil prepared the salad and new potatoes and cooked the steaks on the barbeque. A simple supper but just the sort I like. I phoned Jean from Skype but the connection was crap. Skype has been invaluable to us on this trip but sometimes the connections falls out so often that it makes you loose the will to live. Anyway, Jean was out cleaning her daughter’s house and said she’d call me later. Which she did, I just wanted to tell her that we were back in town and we arranged to go out to dinner for one last supper before we depart from Townsville on Wednesday.

Boring stuff from me today I’m afraid but my DH is fast asleep in bed so hence the reason for my entry. Hopefully, more stimulating stuff from the boy himself tomorrow.

Back on the road again

I don’t seem to be able to get a word in edgeways these days; we haven’t been up to anything that exciting since leaving Magnetic Island so I thought I’d just do a recap today and bring you up to date with where we are. Apologies if I go over some of the stuff that Phil may already have mentioned. I enjoyed our time on Magnetic and although my initial reaction was that 4 days too long because of the heavy rainfall in the end I was glad we had the extra 2 days. It made such a difference seeing the island in glorious sun even if we did see some of the effects from the aftermath of the Olga cyclone. Of course, what really made our visit for me was the accommodation that Phil chose. He couldn’t have made a better choice. The Canopy chalets are perfect for couples that are into each although they can accommodate a family.

As Phil said (and again I’m sorry I’m repeating him) we should have taken the car over on the ferry. The mini moke was fun but a motorbike would have been more exciting. I’m not sure what the future holds for Magnetic Island, we stayed in Nelly Bay which is where the new ferry terminal is and seems to me, to be ‘the hub’ with the most rental outlets, resorts and cafes. I can’t decide whether ‘Maggie’ is a ‘has been’ place surviving on the history of its past or an island which is up and coming & ripe for investment. Certainly some investors think the latter, but in my opinion, the flashy harbour apartment blocks look uncomfortable on the harbour side and I see that many are unsold. Either way, if you come to North Queensland, hop on the ferry to Magnetic Island and take a look for yourself.

On Tuesday morning we packed our back-packs, bid farewell to Alan, dropped off the mini moke and walked the short distance to the ferry terminal. Our timing was good and we only waited 10 minutes before boarding the 10.15 back to Townsville. It was a really hot day and we basked in the heat on the top deck, thankfully the journey was only 20 minutes and in no time at all, after jumping in a taxi, we were soon back at the white house. All was okay, no obvious damage from the storms bar a few branches in the garden, pool and yard. Phil noticed that a small tree was down in the front but it was too heavy to lift. I tried to phone Jean to say that we were back but no answer. I know that Graham works on a Tuesday and maybe Jean was at her painting class. I sent her a text to let her know that all was okay and she replied. We want to take Graham & Jean out for a meal before we head to Sydney so will contact them after our visit up north to see when they’re free.

Phil nipped to Woolworth’s to get a few basics (scones, cake & cheap DVD’s in the sale) and then we drove a couple of km’s to have lunch at the West End Hotel on the Ingham Road. This is one of the pubs that Geoff had recommended. The food was very reasonable and not bad at all. Unfortunately Phil forgot to take a picture but actually it was fairly unremarkable on the outside but inside was fairly typical of an Australian pub with beer garden at the back, although perhaps a little more upmarket than some of the other pubs we’ve been in.


It was unbearably hot and humid when we got back, Phil decided to sit inside with the air con and his OU books and I attempted to sunbathe by the pool. I think I only lasted about half an hour then gave up and went and sat on the upper deck under the fan with a novel. Even with the fan the sweat was pouring off me (very attractive I know). It must have been the one of the hottest days we’ve had in Oz since we’ve been here. After the excitement of Magnetic we had a quiet night in front of the telly, watching the cheapie DVD’s that Phil had brought.

Yesterday morning, I repacked the back-packs with clean clothes and some water and set off for Cairns. Actually we programmed the GPS to take us just a few kilometres outside of the city to a place called Trinity Beach. We hadn’t booked anywhere to stay, deciding to just stop and stay when we found a place we liked and when Phil was tired from driving. Once again it was another hot day and the drive was a long one in the heat, even with the air con. We stopped off at a little place called Mission Beach after 3 and a half hours of being on the road. The lonely planet didn’t cite many places for lunch but a restaurant that they did mention which we found, was shut. Never mind there was a little pizza place next door, the owner was pleasant and despite the fact that pizza is not our favourite food choice, we decided to stay. The menu wasn’t vast but we went for a Mexican pizza and the garden salad. It wasn’t cheap but it satisfied our appetites; Phil took a couple of photographs of the beach and we set off on our onward journey.

A good two hours later we were driving through Cairns. I’m not sure that we saw the main drag and I certainly didn’t see the harbour from the highway but what I did see as we made our way through the many traffic lights, I didn’t particularly like. Along our travels we have some people say good things about Cairns and others that seem to hate it with a passion. We decided to head on to Trinity Beach as planned and come back to explore Cairns on another day. As we approached Trinity Beach which isn’t a vast place, we headed to the beach front and parked up. There were quite a few resorts to choose from but I headed for the one that I thought looked the most inviting. I had a feeling that it also might be expensive and I was right. The kind man on reception told me it was a 2 night minimum stay and offered me the discounted stand by rate of 140 bucks a night. This is about 50 bucks more than we would normally & I was just about to turn around when Phil came up behind me and said yes we’d take it for the 2 nights.

It took a while to suss out the underground car park and lug our stuff up the 3 flights of stairs from the basement, but boy, what a great surprise when we opened the door to apartment 46. It was fabulous! Okay, I am a sucker for modern contemporary designs, but I tell you when I’m retired, this is just the sort of apartment that I intend to live in. The place we are staying at is called Coral Sands Beachfront Resort www.coralsands.com.au I haven’t had a chance to check out the website but here is the URL anyway. Our apartment has 2 beds, 2 bathrooms, a separate toilet with laundry room, lounge/full kitchenette and get this, 2 balconies. No 46 even has views across the ocean. How cool is that?? Phil was super delighted that he had a TV in the bedroom even though he has to switch in on yet! Phil has a thing about TV’s; indeed, we have 5 sets in our small modest home. But that’s probably common in all English homes; after all, our weather at home is so bloody terrible at home that we spend most of our time indoors.

Last night was the most humid evening; we tried to sit on the balcony but gave up after 5 minutes. Phil had all the air con units going full speed so it was okay inside and we were able to get showered and dressed in comfort. That all changed once we got down stairs and out on the street. After only a few minutes, I felt like I needed to shower again. It was dark and there were a few restaurants near our resort, a café, an Italian and a Thai restaurant. We didn’t really fancy any of them and in fact, with the humidity we didn’t feel that hungry so we ordered a takeaway from the Thai restaurant and went back our apartment and the air con. The sofas are so comfortable that within minutes of scoffing our curry we were soon fast asleep.


I think the plan today is to publish the blog, have breakfast, take a stroll along Trinity Beach and then drive the 50 odd kilometres to Port Douglas. Hundreds of other travellers (okay slight exaggeration) have told us that Port Douglas is ‘a must’ so we will go and take a look for ourselves. No other solid plans from therein on, so I guess we’ll do the usual and just go with the flow.